IBCGP Beginnings

The Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) credential was established in 1993 to promote a national standard for use by employers, third party payers, educators and consumers. In November of 1993, the AGPA Board of Directors voted to incorporate the National Registry of Group Psychotherapists as an arm’s length organization. One month later the Certification Task Force of AGPA became the founding Board of Directors of the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists and Sharon S. Cheeseman, LICSW, CGP, LFAGPA, became its first Chairwoman of the Board. The founding belief was that the Registry would provide a way to establish national standards for the field and provide powerful visibility for group psychotherapy in the national health care environment in an effort to strengthen group therapy services for patients experiencing mental health concerns. The National Registry’s name was changed in 2012 when it became the International Board for the Certification of Group Psychotherapists, as over the years we extended certification to group therapists practicing in other countries such as China, Canada, and Ireland.